University of Hawaii football defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman was selected to the National Football Foundation 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class on Wednesday.
Thurman, 68, is set to enter his second season at UH's defensive coordinator after joining the Rainbow Warriors in 2024.
Thurman was one of 18 former players selected on Wednesday. During his playing days at USC, he won a national championship with the Trojans in 1974 and earned first-team All-American honors as a defensive back in 1976 and 1977.
Following his college career, Thurman played in the NFL for nine years, playing in 137 consecutive games in that span. He played his first eight seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and spent his final year with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986.
A total of 22 members were named to the NFF Hall of Fame Class, with former Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick and former coaches Nick Saban and Urban Meyer headlining the class.
Thurman then transitioned into coaching. With 35 years in the profession currently under his belt, he coached 14 seasons in the NFL, where he served as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 2013 to 2014 and the Buffalo Bills from 2015 to 2016.
Right before his time at Hawaii, he served as Colorado's defensive quality control coach in 2023.
Under Thurman's tutelage, the Rainbow Warrior defense had a key turnaround in 2024. After giving up 419 yards and 32.23 points per game in 2023, Thurman's unit reduced that to 312 yards and 26 points per game in 2024.
Spring practices for the 2025 University of Hawaii football team are set to begin on Feb. 3, while the regular season begins with a home contest against Stanford on Aug. 23 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
